About halfway through Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, you might be lost and confused. There are tons of directions to go and only a few clues to go on. It all occurs after defeating Genichiro at the top of Ashina Castle. You’ll ‘save’ Lord Kuro, the Divine Heir and speak with him. At length, you’ll learn about his quest to end immortality. To successfully perform this quest, you’ll need to travel the world and acquire a variety of items — the explanations are usually pretty vague.

If you’re lost and need help finding all these items, you’ll find all the item locations listed below. Each key item is required to unlock the next phase of the story, and it’s pretty easy to lose track of them all. Some of the key items appear in surprising places, and others you might come across are totally useless for the main progression track. Here, I’ll break down exactly where to go and how to acquire each item in Kuro’s quest.

Where To Find Every Key Item For Lord Kuro’s Quest | Locations Guide

After defeating Genichiro at the top of Ashina Castle, you’ll take on a quest for Lord Kuro. He’ll ask for a variety of items that are required to ‘sever the Dragon’s Heritage’ — or end immortality. Each item is in a different corner of the world, and your goal is to get them all. I’ll start with the easiest, and move on to the most difficult.

There’s generally a basic order you can take to get each of these items, but there is no required order. You can collect the following items in any order you want. Once you get all the items (save for one), the story will reach a crossroads.

How To Get The Mortal Blade

The Mortal Blade is located at the end of Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo. The only non-optional boss in the area is the Armored Warrior, which you need to deathblow near the edge of the bridge to defeat. Travel to the main temple, and interact with the giant altar to enter the Illusory Halls.

To complete the Illusory Halls, you just need to defeat the four Folding Screen Monkeys. Each one has a weakness, but you can simply sprint after them and cut them down as they run.

For defeating the boss, you’ll earn the Mortal Blade, which can be used to kill even an immortal opponent.

How To Get The Lotus of the Palace

The Lotus of the Palace can only be accessed from the back of Ashina Castle, leading to the Sunken Valley. Talk to Lord Kuro to acquire the Gun Fort Shrine Key. Use the key to unlock the door and enter the Sunken Valley. Fight through the Gun Fort, and defeat Long-arm Centipede Giraffe — past the Great Serpent, you’ll reach the Bodhisattva Valley Idol.

Below the idol is a large watering hole with a strange monkey. This is the Guardian Monkey’s boss arena. Drop down and defeat both phases of the Guardian Monkey to unlock a small dead-end cavern containing the Lotus of the Palace.

How To Get The Shelter Stone

The Shelter Stone is found deeper through the Sunken Valley. Eventually, you’ll enter Ashina Depths, and access the Hidden Forest. In this area, kill the Mist Noble at the end to free the area of spectral threats, then enter Mibu Village.

In Mibu Village, you’ll encounter two bosses. The first is O’Rin of the Waters (mini-boss), and the Corrupted Monk (boss) at the end. Defeat the Corrupted Monk with Divine Confetti to unlock the Wedding Cave Door Idol. Inside, you’ll find the Shelter Stone.

How To Get The Aromatic Branch

The final piece of the incense puzzle is located in Ashina Castle. After finding the first three items, Ashina Castle will be invaded by shinobi. To get the Aromatic Branch, allowing you to access the divine realm, you’ll need to defeat the Great Shinobi – Owl at the top of the castle.

Defeating him allows you to create the incense and enter the divine realm. How to enter the Divine Realm? Go back to the Wedding Cave in Ashina Depths and interact with the palanquin (hand cart) under the massive knot. You’ll be carried to the Fountainhead Palace.

From there, the rest of the game is straightforward. You’ll need to defeat the Divine Dragon and acquire the Divine Dragon’s Tears, then return to Ashina Castle and fight to the field where your story first began.